Apparatus for topping beets.



PATENTED NOV. 21, 1905.

I. W. H. SHAW. APPARATUS FOR TOPPING BEETS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR.27, 1905.

Evy/0% UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANKLIN W. H. SHAW, OF TOWNSHIP OF GORE OF OHATHAM, ONTARIO,,

CANADA.

' APPARATUS'F OR TOPPING BEETS.

No. 804,889. Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Nov. 21, 1905.

Application filed March 27, 1905- Serial No. 252,393.

10 all whom it may concern: part of a frame particularly constructed 5 7 Be it known that I, FRANKLIN W. H. SHAW, therefor. a subject of the King of Great Britain, resid- In other respects also my invention is deing in the township of Gore of Chatham, signed to simplify and economize the con- 5 county of Kent, Province of Ontario, Canada, struction of the apparatus and to increase its have invented a certain new and useful Imefiiciency, the apparatus being so constructed 6o provement in Apparatus for Topping Beets, as to avoid the liability of the same being of which the following is a specification, refclogged by the tops of the beets. erence being had to the accompanying draw- The apparatus embodied in my invention ings, which form a part of this specification. is not only capable or ready attachment to My invention has for its object to provide the frame of various farm instruments, but 0 5 certain new and useful improvements in apit is also constructed so as to be readily adparatus for topping beets; and it consists of justed as may be required.

the construction, combination, and arrange- I carry out my invention as follows:

I 5 ment of devices hereinafter described and In the drawings, arepresents any suitable claimed, and illustrated in the accompanysupp0rtingframea cultivator-frame, for 70 ing drawings, in which eXamplethe same being shown connected Figure l is a view in side elevation, illus with the axle b by connecting the arms 0 c, trating features of my invention, said figure having a jointed engagement with the axle,

showing the frame of an ordinary wheeled as indicated at d, and with the rear cross-bar beet-cultivator, the cultivator devices being of the frame, as indicated at e. In this man- 7 5 removed and my improved topping attachner the frame constitutes a swivel-frame caments substituted in place thereof. Fig. 2- pable of lateral movement, as maybe desired, is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail the lateral movement being readily accomview, partly in section, of certain features of plished by the operator through the instruthe device. Fig. 4 is a detail view in elevamentality of suitable handles, (indicated at tion, illustrating the means of connecting the f.) Suspended from the frame is a pair of disks. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view showing rotatable cutting-disks, (indicated at g g,) the means of connecting the disks with their said disks being suspended in such a manner 0 vertical supporting-standards. as to permit of a vertical movement, so that More particularly my invention is designed the cutting edges of the disk may rise or fall as an improvement on apparatus for topping together in contact with the tops of the vari beets embodied in Letters Patent of the ous beets in the row, notwithstanding the va- United States to O. S. Martin, No. 7 78,830, riations of the beets in height or variations 3 5 December 27, 1904. in the surface of the ground. The cutting- As in the patent referred to, the object of disks are preferably so arranged that the cutmy invention is to provide apparatus for cutting edges will slightly overlap each other. ting off the tops of the beets while the beets Each of the disks is suspended from the lower are in the ground. The apparatus embodied end of a corresponding upright or spindle, (in- 0 in my present invention, however, is particudicated at h.) The adjustment of each of the larly designed to be ca able of attachment disks to the corresponding upright is prefer- 5 to an ordinary beet-cu tivator frame or to ably accomplished by securing upon the upthe frame of various agricultural instruments per faces of the disk a socket (indicated at 'L) of a similar nature having a swiveled frame, constructed to receive the lower end of the 45 my present invention not being limited to its corresponding upright h and to be secured application solely to the frame of a beetthereto, as by means of one or more bolts, 10o

lifter. (indicated at j.) Above the socket "L is en- It is evident that an apparatus of this nagaged a web or casting is, in which the spinture capable of attachment to abeet-cultivadie is journaled and to which is engaged a 50 .tor or to various ordinary farm implements, supporting-standard, (indicated at Z.) The such as a farmer would already have in possupporting-standards Z are engaged toward 1o 5 session, canbemore economicallyconstructed their upper ends with a supporting-arm m, and put upon the market and into use than secured in any suitable manner upon the is the case where the apparatus must form a frame a. ,As shown, the frame is provided with a hollow arm (indicated at it) connected with the frame afor example, by means of a bolt p the hollow arm being passed through the transverse bar of the frame, the

bolt p passing through the hollow arm and connected with the arm m, a nut q securing the parts in place. The arm m has an adjustable engagement with the hollow arm n. The plates m are shown provided with elongated arc-shaped orifices 8, through which the standard is bolted to said arm, as indicated at t. It is obvious that the standard Z may swing or oscillate upon the upper bolt. This construction permits the supportingstandard I to be set at any desired angle for the proper adjustment of the rotatable cutting-disks. The cutting-disks are rotatable freely by contact with the ground or with the beet-tops. The two cutting-disks are connected by an upwardly-extending bow u, the lower extremities of the bow being preferably engaged with the lower extremities of the standards Z and with the castings k. The shape of the bow permits the beet-tops to readily pass thereunder without clogging the machine. My invention also contemplates the provision of a runner (indicated at y) located in advance of the adjacent edges of the cutting disks, said runner being supported upon a standard to, adjustably engaged in the arm :20, secured upon the frame a. The supporting mechanism for the standard of the runner may be a duplicate of the supporting mechanism shown for the standard Z. The runner is preferably prolonged and is intended to ride upon the irregular tops of the upright beets, the runner rising and falling with the irregularities of the tops of the beets in height. The runner in its undulatory or vertical movement will obviously carry with it the swinging arm a, and consequently the cutting-disks will have a corresponding vertical movement, so that the tops of the beets will be cut off at equal distances, notwithstanding their irregularities in height, the runner dropping by gravity when free to move outward, and rising by contact with the beet tops of greater height than the one preceding. The runner thus raises or lowers the swinging frame of the machines according to the unevenness of the beet-tops before they are cut.

The standard to may be adjusted vertically, as may be required in the supporting mechanism connected with the frame, so as to cut off more or less of the beets, as desired.

The superiority of my present invention over apparatus for topping beets heretofore constructed. will now be understood, inasmuch as it may be adapted, as already set forth, to any agricultural implement having a swinging frame. Thus, for example, in a spring-toothed cultivator of ordinary construction we find a springing'frame provided with mechanisms secured thereto to carry the spring-teeth. My invention contemplates, for example, simply removing the spring-teeth from the cultivator and attaching my standards Z, carrying the cuttingdisks in the place of two of said teeth and by the same supporting mechanism as that employed to carry the teeth, a similar supporting mechanism being attached also to the frame to carry the supporting-standard for the runner.

I prefer to employ, in addition to the foregoing, a cleaner or scraper, (indicated at y, Fig. 5,) which may be attached to the lower end of the corresponding standard Z, said scraper preferably extending to the outer edge of the adjacent disk to keep the disk clear of the beet-tops.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In an apparatus for topping beets the combination of a frame, rotatable cuttingdisks, vertical spindles carrying said disks,

webs or castings in which said spindles are journaled, vertical standards connected at their lower ends with said webs or castings and extending therethrough and radiallyextended scrapers attached to the lower ends of each of said standards adjacent to the corresponding disk.

2. In an apparatus for topping beets, the combination with an agricultural implement provided with a swinging frame, and with wheels supporting said frame, of overlapping circular cutting-disks concaved upon their upper faces and rotatable by frictional contact with an obstacle, vertical spindles carrying said disks respectively, webs or cast ings in which said spindles are journaled, vertical standards connected at their lower ends with said webs or castings respectively, to carry such disks, a bow-shaped bar connecting said standards, mechanism on the frame in which said standards are adjustably engaged, a runner in advance of said disks, a supporting-standard for said runner adjustably connected with the frame, and radially-extended scrapers attached to the lower ends of each of the standards supporting the disks adjacent to the corresponding disks.

In testimony-whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANKLIN W. H. SHAW. l/Vitnesses:

W. W. LOGAN, E. H. RUTTON.

IIO 

